Topic: Crime stats test rationale behind Arizona immigration law | |
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Crime stats test rationale behind Arizona immigration law By Mariano Castillo, CNNApril 29, 2010 10:42 p.m. EDT
(CNN) -- High levels of illegal immigration and crimes committed by unauthorized immigrants are among the key rationales cited by some supporters of a tough new immigration law in Arizona. "Border violence and crime due to illegal immigration are critically important issues to the people of our state," Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said at the signing of the controversial bill, SB 1070. "There is no higher priority than protecting the citizens of Arizona. We cannot sacrifice our safety to the murderous greed of the drug cartels. We cannot stand idly by as drop houses, kidnappings and violence compromise our quality of life." Yet, a look at statistics from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency and the FBI indicate that both the number of illegal crossers and violent crime in general have actually decreased in the past several years. According to FBI statistics, violent crimes reported in Arizona dropped by nearly 1,500 reported incidents between 2005 and 2008. Reported property crimes also fell, from about 287,000 reported incidents to 279,000 in the same period. These decreases are accentuated by the fact that Arizona's population grew by 600,000 between 2005 and 2008. According to the nonpartisan Immigration Policy Institute, proponents of the bill "overlook two salient points: Crime rates have already been falling in Arizona for years despite the presence of unauthorized immigrants, and a century's worth of research has demonstrated that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes or be behind bars than the native-born." Backers of the bill maintain that crime is a key reason for the necessity of the tough immigration law. Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce this week told CNN's Tony Harris that half the murders in Phoenix are committed by unauthorized immigrants and that the city is the second in the world in kidnappings. A CNN Fact Check found that the senator's claim about the murders in Phoenix cannot be proven, but he did have police statistics to back up his claims of the city's high number of kidnappings, although its exact standing in the world is not clear. Video: Sheriff: New law will curb immigration Video: Police on both sides of new Arizona law RELATED TOPICS Arizona U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Crime Statistics Illegal Immigration and Deportation Federal Bureau of Investigation In Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has long been an advocate of tough measures against illegal immigration. His officers already check the immigration status of people they detain for other crimes, he said. "We've been doing it for a long time, but this [law] gives us just a little more authority," Arpaio told CNN. One way that Arpaio says he measures his success is that he hears that immigrants who entered the country illegally are leaving his county. "It's a good indicator," he said. Statewide illegal immigration trends are harder to gauge. One aspect of it is the number of apprehensions of unauthorized immigrants made by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. Since a peak in 2000 of more than 600,000 illegal crossers apprehended, the number fell to 241,000 in 2009, Tucson Sector Public Affairs Officer Mario Escalante told CNN. "We've seen a steady decline," he said. Intelligence-driven operations have increased the effectiveness of the Border Patrol's efforts, he added. Meanwhile, the cartel violence that has gripped Mexico for the most part has remained there, he said. Human and drug smugglers are being "more aggressive because we're being successful," Escalante said, "But we've been lucky not to see that type of [violence] spill over here." http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/29/arizona.immigration.crime/index.html Imagine that??!! |
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By Bryant Furlow 5/3/10 5:27 PM
The end of the U.S.-Mexico border fence in California (Photo by Bisayan lady/Flickr) Arizona Governor Jan Brewer cited “border violence and crime due to illegal immigration” as motivations for signing a controversial law requiring people in Arizona to carry proof that they are in the U.S. legally. But FBI and U.S. Department of Justice data show that Arizona’s violent crime rate is lower than the U.S. average and has been declining more rapidly than the U.S. average, The Independent found. Despite a growing population, violent crime rates dropped sharply in Arizona between 2002 and 2008, the latest year for which complete federal crime data are available online. According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, Arizona’s population-adjusted violent crime rate dropped from 555 reported incidents per 100,000 people in 2002 to 447 per 100,000 in 2008. That 19.5 percent decline was much more pronounced than the U.S. average during the same time period, The Independent found. Nationwide, the violent crime rate dropped by 7.9 percent, from 494 violent crimes per 100,000 population in 2002 to 455 in 2008, The Independent found. New Mexico saw a 12 percent decline in violent crimes between 2002 and 2008, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics database. But at nearly 650 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2008, New Mexico’s crime rate was considerably higher than both Arizona’s and the U.S. average. Reports by the nonpartisan Immigration Policy Center and libertarian CATO Institute both indicate crime rates fell in Arizona over the past decade. Census data show that overall, immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born people, according to both institutes. ICE officials did not return The Independent’s calls Monday, requesting illegal immigration statistics for New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. http://newmexicoindependent.com/53176/crime-immigration-connection-unclear-justice-dept-statistics-suggest |
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